Oystertree Consulting is a Louisiana low-profit limited liability corporation (L3C), a new corporate designation designed for mission-driven entities. L3C companies can distribute annual profits just like a traditional LLC, but they have a dedicated charitable mission and so can also qualify for program-related investments (PRIs) from private foundations. In this regard, the L3C designation is similar to a community interest company (CIC) in the United Kingdom, and was designed specifically to support social entrepreneurship.

When Oysters Grew On Trees

Of course, oysters don’t grow on trees. But oysters do grow in shallow coastal waters, as do mangrove trees. The mangrove roots provide a good habitat for the oysters, and the oysters filter the water around the mangroves. So these two very different species can coexist in a way that at low tide it looks as if the oysters are actually a fruit of the mangrove tree.

One of the fantastic stories that circulated back across the Atlantic from Early European explorers was of oysters growing on trees in this New World. So the Oystertree is a mythological creature, inspired in part by the Gulf of Mexico at its healthiest. But there is also a larger truth of abundance accurately told through the myth of the Oystertree: that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Thus, our goal at Oystertree Consulting is similarly to make the whole greater than the sum. We do that by adding measurable green building and sustainability outcomes to affordable housing and community development goals, seeking social justice ends through environmentally and economically sustainable means.

ABOUT

Oystertree is an affordable housing and community development consulting practice, with a focus on green building and sustainability.
More

Sustainable Housing Certification

In partnership with the Housing TeleVideo Network (HTVN), Oystertree has developed an online Sustainable Housing Certification course. This 4+ hour, 10-module course is directed at public and affordable housing providers.